


Stolen Wolf and Burned Trees

by aliceinwonderpants



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Alador gets better, Alador is secretly fluffy, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Bad Parents Alador Blight and Odalia Blight, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Lumity, Minor Mom Eda, Multi, My First Fanfic, Parent-Child Relationship, Redemption, Some shipping but not ship oriented - Freeform, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27461935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliceinwonderpants/pseuds/aliceinwonderpants
Summary: Alador had been groomed for power ever since he was taken in by the Blight family. Husband of Odalia Blight, he was ruthless, cunning and accepted no weakness from himself or any that served under him. As head of the abomination coven, he lived only to further the Blight name and serve the will of the Emperor. After Lilith Clawthorne's betrayal, an opportunity came for him to rise even higher. All he had to do was capture that one wild witch and he'd ascend to where he was meant to be. He thought it'd be simple, until he found himself alone, facing a remnant of an era that had passed fifty years ago. He learned of a title that made his coven brand burn and was sent on a path to determine the fate of magic, and of his relationship with his childrena and his wife.Werewolf/Half-werewolf AU based on a comment from Dana's Reddit AmA and the fact I love the idea of Alador and his kids being secretly puppy.
Relationships: Alador Blight & Amity Blight & Edric Blight & Emira Blight & Odalia Blight, Alador Blight & Eda Clawthorne, Alador Blight/Odalia Blight
Comments: 12
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welp. Here it is. My first fic in forever and the first ever I wrote in English. I hope y'all enjoy it. Big thanks to my friend Jenna for beta reading and going through the mess that is my writing with adhd and in English

Alador Blight adjusted his coat. It was a cold autumn evening, the sun just setting and a perfect time for him to take a walk home. Usually the only moment of quiet he can get these days. Or it would be if the Emperor's coven hadn't asked him for help. Ever since Lilith's betrayal, the coven was a mess. Multiple witches and demons were bickering over who would get to take over. After a particularly nasty altercation that blew up a whole section of his castle, the Emperor decided to elicit the help of the leaders of each of the nine main coven. Though none said it out loud, each leader hoped this was a test to find who would lead the most prestigious coven and become the Emperor's first enforcer.

So here was Alador, walking the opposite direction from his manor into the forest of massive red leaved trees that surrounded Bonesborough. He did enjoy the weather however. Crisp cold wind, the last rays of sunlight glimmering through the half barren branches and leaves crunching under his boots. It was invigorating, almost freeing. 

"Leader Blight! Thank you for coming!" Alador snapped back to reality, surrounded by six hooded figures under white cloaks, all wearing a beaked mask and the golden triangle of the Emperor's coven. 

"Quite. I am always happy to assist the Isles' best" He replied to no one in particular. _Even though said best were defeated by a single human child a month ago._ He thought but did not add. While he knew which way he was going, the Blight did not remember how long he walked.

 _Such foolishness, I could've been snatched up and eaten. I would've deserved it too._ With cold golden eyes, he took in his surroundings. He was deeper than he expected, the trees were old here, tall, large enough that one could probably carve a pretty sizable house inside one without harming it. Didn't look like this place changed much since the savage ages. A fitting hiding place for a wild witch to be honest. Speaking of which. 

"Who are we hunting today, by the way?" Alador asked, to no one in particular. The cloaks really made it hard to distinguish individuals, even masking the faintest of smells. 

"A wild witch. An old one at that. Their name has been lost but our informants hear whispers of someone going by 'The Mutt'. Rumor has it they've been hiding and assisting young covenless witches ever since the end of the savage ages" “Any information on which school of magic they’re using?”

“Nope!” “Anything on their appearance or their tactics?” Pressed Alador, now mildly annoyed? “Still no, Leader Blight” Bringing his fingers to the bridge of his nose he asked. “Any plan at all on how to proceed?”

“We go there, tell them to come, rough them up a bit if they don’t want to and we’re home in time for the Bachelorette.”

“Excuse me, what?!” blurted the Blight patriarch, letting out a sound halfway between a groan and a growl.

“Well,” added the one who had done most of the talking and who Alador dubbed ‘Steve’,

“I know it’s pretty trashy but this year it’s a mantis demon and she’s been eating the head of the losers. Great stuff”

“I am asking about a plan! You really do not have anything more than that?!” These are supposed to be the most elite witches in the realm and they are at best clueless thugs. I’m going to need to straighten the lot off when I take control. This thought did bring a slight smile to his lips but could not dispel the frustration of being stuck there. 

“Leader Blight,” Steve replied, “I know you usually go on the more important and dangerous missions against dangerous and powerful targets but most of the time, wild witches are nothing more than petty criminals. A few strong words and a couple firebolts usually does the trick. Except against that infernal house demon”

A shudder travelled through every cloaked figure. Having heard enough, Alador simply walked by them, going through his supplies and keeping an eye out. To say he was skeptical of Steve’s strategy was an understatement. Nothing can survive long in such an old part of the woods without the ability to defend themself. The lack of demons or beasts of any kind was worrying. Something had to make them leave and, since he could not find tracks bigger than those of a viper-squirrel, it meant they’d been avoiding the area for a long time. The woods started getting thinner, he slowed down, lifting a hand, hoping the six stooges following him would stop. 

“We’re getting close to a clearing. Slow down.” He whispered. “Finally!” said one of the ‘not Steve’ rolling up their sleeves. “Let’s get done with this.” All six emperor’s guards walked past him. Before he could stop any of them, thin blue smoke started to blow from the clearing’s direction. Allador quickly lifted his dark purple cloak. Giving him just enough time and protection to whirl his finger in a counterspell. The Blight’s companions… did not. The smoke dispersed almost as soon as it arrived, save for a ring of it around each guard’s head. They all had stopped walking, simply swaying slowly left to right giggling. Illusion Magic. Looked like a simple dreamscape spell. Shouldn’t be hard to dispel. He lifted a finger but stopped himself. _Let’s get done with this first. They’ll only be in my way._ There was no time to waste. They hadn’t exactly been stealthy and their target now definitely knew someone was there. Finding an illusionist who had time to prepare would be almost impossible. Alador swirled his finger four more times, layering counterspells on top of one another and over the witch’s wool of his cloak then rushed towards the clearing. He came into the it expecting an ambush, traps, or pretty much anything but what he saw. It was as close to a garden as one could get being this isolated. Flowers, plants, some magical, some note, some edible some not. It was chaos as if each plant had been randomly placed, but seeing the diversity and health of every one, there was no denying someone had been tending to them. Said someone was sitting under a strange tree. Its bark was white as birch but thick as oak. At five meter, it would be impressive if not surrounded by trees centuries older than it. That’s when Alador noticed the blue leaves sprouting from its branches and the multiple black spots covering the trunk. Well, not so much spots as animal foot prints. He saw paws, talons, feet, even flippers and wings.

“A palisman tree!” he couldn’t help but husher

“Indeed it is Alador Blight” The abomination leader’s eyes darted down to the source of the voice. They were still just sitting there, a steaming mug in hands, wrapped in the most tattered witch’s wool cloak Alador has ever seen. It was a deep blue with purple eyes all over it. It was so torn apart that only a few of the eye patterns seemed intact. The witch wasn’t unlike their clothes. Covered in scars, scratches and old burns. Not a single hair on their head and wrinkles digging deep trenches into their face, yet the most surprising things were a winged wooden snake laid gently over their neck and their pale grey eyes looking at him with a sad kindness. 

“I don’t suppose you’re visiting this old witch for a chat and a nice cup of tea?”. Alador’s eyes hardened. Simply replying dryly 

“I will not be playing your game wild witch. You are under arrest for failing to join a coven, assaulting the emperor’s loyal servants, assisting covenless witches and failing to return his rightful property to the emperor” A frown added even more wrinkles to the old witch’s forehead. They rested their back against the Palisman tree. 

“No one owns magic. Just like no one owns the wind, the forest, or the trees. You should know that better than anyone, young wolf.” The name took him by surprise, for the first time in years, the abomination’s coven brand on his left hand started to itch. Composing himself, he drew three glass phials from his cloak. Each was filled with a magenta sludge with streaks of purple and shiny metallic particles floating through it.

“Wild witch known as ‘The Mutt’ is must ask you to follow me or I shall take you by force” The kindness in those grey eyes was still there but their sadness deepened. 

“I do not wish to fight you. I can help you. Teach you.” A cruel smirk crept on Alador’s lips. Maybe his wife rubbed off on him a little.

“I am the leader of the abomination coven! The most powerful witch alive besides our blessed emperor, and the patriarch of the Blight family! You will not bribe me!” They stood up slowly with the aid of a worn staff which the snake, who had barely moved at this point, wrapped itself around, risting its scaly chin on the top of it. 

“I am not offering bribes to you. I can however offer you the truth. I need your help, young wolf.” The itch on his hand became too much.

“I AM NO SUCH THING!” Alador threw phial, rushing to his left while he drew a single spell circle he then broke into three with the flick of his index finger. “Abominations, Rise!”


	2. A Mutt's Last Howl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alador faces magic like he's never seen before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had my friend finish beta reading a bit earlier than expected. Thanks to Jenna for dealing with the mess that was this chapter. Here's chapter a bit earlier cause apparently I can't get enough of the serotonin rush from new comments. Fight scenes are hard but it was a fun write. Hope y'all enjoy.

"Abominations, rise!" As they reached the top of their arcs, all three phials shattered simultaneously. A magenta glow enveloped their content making the purple goop coalesce into three vaguely, equally purple and equally goopy humanoid figures, all with a metallic sheen over them. 

"Abominations, seize!" Alador barked, watching the figures the size of a five year old child crashed through the white branches to land on top of… nothing. A searing heat followed by a bright pink flash sparked from the back of his right shoulder.

"It takes more than that to surprise me young wolf." Said a voice behind him. Alador immediately sent two abominations towards it, keeping one near him to act as a shield while he turned around. The Mutt was standing there, staff pointed at him, their eyes glowing a dark purple except for their pupil, piercing and blindingly white. More worrying were the eye patterns on their cloak, glowing the same color and which seemed to be moving. Some were looking at him, others at the abominations, but most were darting left and right as if watching a fight that wasn't happening yet. Just my luck, an illusionist and oracle. This is going to be a pain. They already took down one counterspell. I need to get done quickly. Before he could utter another command, the wild witch slid under the two creatures rushing them, seemingly vanishing into the ground. This time, Alador was prepared, 

"Abominations, flatten!" He drew a large spell circle above him and slammed into the ground in a smooth motion. From the glowing borders of the circle came a wall of pink fire, centimeters from the ground. The Blight threw his arms apart and watched the ring of flame expand with a smile. The opportunity to wield this shear power without restraint was exhilarating. The flames travelled through the entire clearing, burning everything but the sturdiest and smallest plants, avoiding the abominations as well, now large flat disks thin enough for the spell to pass over them. Inside the traveling flames, Alador saw a figure swirling, almost dancing purple spots all over them with white dots which seemed to follow every flame. The Mutt was simply avoiding the spell, finding the tiniest gap to squeeze through then spinning to another until they were past the ring.

"A mistake dropping your only shield young wolf" They said, forming a small blue circle with the snake on their staff. A blue jagged line broke the distance between it and Alador's chest, the sound of thunder filling the evening air. Pink flash, two counterspells left. Gritting his teeth, he took a step back but noticed something interesting. Only the undamaged eyes on his target's cloak glowed, furthermore, all the glowing ones were busy keeping track of the dissipating flames surrounding them and not the purple puddle only a feet away.

"Abomination, swipe!" From the puddle sprouted two clawed arms, the metallic sheen concentrating at the tip of each finger. The Mutt winced before letting themself fall backwards, sinking into the ground again. Alador was certain two glowing spots were now missing. 

"Can only keep track of so much can you?" He mocked. "Abominations split" From the three puddles, grew six figures similar to those that were summoned earlier but half as small. The fight remained extremely even. No strategy worked twice against them. Seemingly innocuous things always working in the wild witch's favor. Seeing a rare opening Alador sent five clawed abominations towards the witch. A still smoldering vine caught the foot of one of them,giving the Mutt just enough of an opening to slip through. He almost let out a frustrated growl before a predatory look spread across his face. Three more tears were on the cloak, two eye patterns no longer glowing. Their staff was also barren.

"Abomination, protect" A flash of brown scales and white feathers leaped at his neck but only met the purple chest of the abomination who jumped between its master and the palisman. Alador immediately snapped at the creature to grab the snake. It was a slippery thing but luckily it seemed to have buried most of its head in the sludge making it easier for the abomination to wrap its talons on the tail. He had to be quick. Controlling that many abominations was rapidly draining him, but he had the target's palisman. Wild witches were usually extremely sentimental about these tools. Having it meant having the Mutt. Not that he had much time to ask for surrenders. Instead of trying to wrestle itself free, the winged serpent simply buried itself deeper, and deeper until,

"Abomination, yank!". With a groan of acknowledgement, it pulled on the tail, just enough to stop the snapping jaws emerging from its back and going straight for Alador again. That's when he noticed a blue circle forming at the corner of his eye. "Now Quetza!" _Protect!_ He hadn't ordered out loud as much as thought so strongly that two other abominations jumped between him and the lightning bolt summoned by the spell circle. He felt a massive drain of magical energy that came with silent commands as a pleased growl brought his attention back to his snake impaled creation. It was slowly liquefying surrounded by the same blue mist that greeted him, said mist exuding from the open maw of the snake which was wiggling itself free. The Blight snapped a finger to trigger the penultimate counterspell. A pink flash dispersed the mist as if it were candle smoke. A tense stillness fell on the clearing. The crackling sound of smoldering bark protecting the singed but mostly unharmed magic tree and the heavy panting of two witches filled the cold air. The Mutt did not have any plant life to hide under that wasn't ashes and cinders while Alador had three undamaged minions at his disposal. There were too many eyes left on the cloak for his liking however. Maybe those emperor goons might've been useful, if only as very obnoxious distractions. _Boy!_ A stern voice of a dead man in his head chastised him. _A Blight does not initiate something they cannot accomplish by themself._ Alador gritted his teeth and took one last look at his surroundings. Inert abomination sludge puddles were scattered all over. The palisman, Quetza if he recalled correctly, had already slithered back to its master who had their back against the white trunk. The instant the coven head moved a finger, every single glowing eye focused on him. He did not have much time. Two commands, that's all he needed.

"Abominations, splatter!" And so they did, exploding in all directions, covering even more of the area in sludge. Alador rushed towards the wild witch whose spinning staff in their hands formed a circle once more. It was brighter, sparks flying from it and covering the smell of smoke by an even more intense smell of ozone. He braced himself, simply hoping his last counterspell was powerful enough to handle a direct hit. 

"Abominations, impale!" Everything happened in an instant. From the circle came multiple bolts of electricity who twisted themselves into a blue snake head that slammed into Alador's chest. At the same time, from every sludge puddle came an explosion of spikes. The tip of every single one was as sharp and metallic as the claws his minions had had. They filled the clearing, a deadly purple spider web. Burrowing into trees, leaves, the ground and, as he had hoped, an old tattered witch's wool cloak. The Mutt still had their back on the magic tree but every eye on their cloak dimmed, each pierced by a spike, keeping the witch pinned and unable to move. They sighed, letting the purple glow fade from their eyes. They still had the same sadness. 

"It's over Mutt or whatever your name actually is. Surrender. If you offer the tree to Him willingly, the Emperor may be lenient. " Their face hardened, showing something other than sadness for the first time. Deep, burning anger. 

"This monster knows nothing of mercy. I witnessed his cruelty first-hand. I fought at the battle of the Heart, walked Titan's Rise and saw the Packs' groves burn. I saw my friends, hunted down, petrified and left in front of the conformatorium as some sick trophy to his tyranny. Over and over, for fifty years, until I was the only one left!"

"Then maybe it's time for you to join them wild witch!" The Blight snapped, clutching his chest. His counterspell seemed to have worked but the impact probably still bruised some ribs. He looked up to see the Mutt smiling at him. Their raged seemingly having left as quickly as it rose

"Looks like this wolf as some bark to his bite. Maybe you're right. I've been running and protecting this tree for fifty years. My time has come. I simply hope you do better than me, young wolf."

"What are you even talking about." Alador's eyes narrowed as he noticed the staff was once again empty. 

"Where is that damn sna…" The crack of thunder interrupted his questioning. The hairless witch lifted their index up, pointing at the serpent, flying in a perfect circle above the tree, herding dark storm clouds like a shepherd cerberus. 

"Get to her safely Quetza" They whispered before forming one last blue ring with their raised finger. All Alador could do was witness. A flash of blue, a blinding light, a deafening crack and then darkness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. The first action heavy chapter. Definitely not the fic's focus but I'll be damned if I can't let my Aladar and OC flex just a lil. Next chapter, we meet The Wife TM and our beloved Amity. It's still in the works so I can't really promise a date but I'm hoping for this weekend . 
> 
> Some HC from this chapter.  
> More abominations are more taxing even they are smaller.  
> Orders do not have to be given out loud but they take a lot of magic.  
> Mixing stuff with the abomination's sludge will alter its abilities.  
> While it is possible to summon them without any sludge, even a small amount of it can make an abomination take form much more easily and they will be a lot more powerful and easier to maintain.  
> Quetza is chaotic baby and we will hopefully see more of her.


	3. Back to the den

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young wolf, is this how you lead your pack?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter 3. I really enjoyed writing this one. We get introduced to Odalia and Amity. Thanks y'all for reading and I hope you enjoy it.

“..eader Blight. Leader Blight!”

Alador’s eyes slowly opened to see a familiar bird mask looking down at him. It seemed to be talking but it was drowned out by a deafening ring in his ears. The emperor’s coven guard helped him sit up while his hearing slowly returned to him. With dark spots and flashes obscuring his vision, he still tried to take a look at his surroundings. The clearing was somehow even more desolate than before. Smoldering shards of wood and glowing embers covering most of it and in its center, where the palisman tree once stood, a smoking crater. The Mutt’s last act of defiance. The Mutt… Alador jumped to his feet

“The wild witch! Where are they!”

The moment he was up, the coven head’s legs turned to jelly, only Steve’s (at least he was pretty sure they were Steve) reflexes stopped him from falling back down.

“Careful Leader Blight. You were pretty close to a really powerful lightning strike. You were lucky they missed.”

_ They did not miss. But you wouldn’t know that, would you? _ Something thought, not said. Not a good idea to antagonize the person stopping you from falling on a pile of embers.

“Seems that last spell took most of what they had. It knocked them out and dispelled the cowardly traps they used on us. The rest of the squadron tied them up and are headed to the conformatorium right now”

They lead him to a tree at the edge and Alador let himself slide down to sit. 

“Will you be alright to make it home, Leader Blight? I can call an escort if needed”

The coven leader pinched the bridge of his nose and waved his other hand dismissively.

“No need Steve, I just need a few minutes to clear my head”

“But my name isn’t..”

Realizing they were now completely ignored, “Steve” simply walked away. It took a few minutes for Alador’s vision to clear and a few more for him to be able to stand up without aid. He was about to walk away when a streak of blue on the trunk of one of the otherwise red trees surrounding the area caught his eyes. Pinned by the metallic tip of a now dissolved sludge spear was white branch the length of his forearm sporting light blue leaves. 

_ Looks like something survived your final trick Mutt. _

The witch made it float towards him to get a closer look. The broken part was slowly turning brown and so were the edges of the leaves. He made a quick circle to cast a spell he usually used for very unstable abomination ingredients. A magenta glow surrounded the branch and seemed to halt the creeping decay. Looking closer, he also noticed small dark spots on the bark, some already looking like prints. 

_ There has to be a way to get something out of it. If I can bring back a living and healthy palisman tree to the Emperor, my place at the head of His coven is secured _

This brought a rare, when he wasn’t fighting, smirk on his face. He opened his cloak and slid the branch in one of its many magical pockets. The state of the dark purple cape made Alador wince. It was mostly tatters and burned edges. Hopefully enough of it was left to regenerate in a few days. Otherwise he would have to handle shopping with Odalia.

With that thought in mind, he began his trek home. The woods remained empty, the Mutt having made their mark apparently. When he reached Blight Manor, the sun had set and a heavy cloud cover blocked most starlight, not that Alador minded much. He never had any problems seeing in low light, even for a witch, and the manor was always lit and easy to spot. The gates to the property opened for him as he walked, recognizing the family patriarch. Finally reaching the front door, he bumped his heels together to activate the cleaning spell on the front mat and smoothed his wild auburn hair made wilder by the evening’s events. As he was trying to get his sideburns and beard to look at least somewhat symmetrical, a voice called from the inside.

“Just come on in dear. It’s not like you’re going to look any more presentable with that rag you are wearing”

He sighed and entered the manor to meet the cold green eyes, perfectly tied up lime bun and pristine black and blue dress on the other side. His wife, Odalia.

“Hello dearest. I apologize, this evening’s mission was somewhat more heated than expected.”

This earned him a scoff.

“Say it like it is dear, those goons were dead weights.”

“One might say that”

“From what I’ve heard from the conformatorium, they have one new resident so I expect the mission was a success?”

Alador nodded. Nothing can get past his wife’s network. 

“Anything interesting?”

“Besides taking a lightning snake to the chest? Not really.”

He wasn’t sure why he did not mention the tree, or the itch on his left hand but he did not. A cold familiar silence fell between the two.  


“Now dearest, I must go to my office. There is still a report to be filled”

“Of course. I can’t wait to read it. Oh and dear, I will send Amity your way later in the evening. It seems despite that ridiculous situation this summer, she has now surpassed the previous record for longest standing abomination track star student. It is back under the Blight name, as it should be”

The man hummed as he went up the stairs leading to the hallway where his study, and the twins’ rooms were. He knew better than to ask why a report meant for the Emperor’s eyes only would reach Odalia.

Alador finally reached his study. It was getting late but this report needed to be done. He spun his finger and as he almost completed the circle to summon light, a child's trick really, everything crashed on him at once. The drain of the battle, the normal exhaustion coming from having been working since dawn, the branch he had hidden and the fact he did not tell Odalia about, and a sharp pain on the right side of his chest. Gritting his teeth, he sat down and snapped his fingers once, a signal the enchanted candles all around were waiting to light up. It was darker than his usual light spell but Alador didn't mind much. He lifted a quill and began dutifully recording the last mission. He did omit most of the snarky thoughts he had and talks of trashy crystal ball shows. The tired witch finished scathingly relaying the incompetence of the guards falling victim to the simplest illusion spell when he found himself unable to set quill to parchment. 

_ Young Wolf _

Just the thought of that title made his brand ache. What was it about it that made him react that way. It was just a taunt, maybe a comment on his sharp features and wild auburn hair yet it felt somewhat familiar. The ache turned into a sharp burn. He heard a knock at the door. 

"Father? Mother said you wished to see me?" 

Alador sat back up with a grunt. His daughter could not see him exhibit such weakness. 

"Amity, yes. You may enter"

The door creaked as the pale girl entered, the light from the hallway almost blinding him. She closed it softly before walking in front of his desk, upright, hands behind her back looking at him with a neutral expression. The perfect Blight.  _ Besides those cursed auburn roots _ would've added Odalia. 

"Your mother informed me you surpassed the previous record for Hexside's longest star student status. Of course, the record would've been for longest consecutive weeks if it weren't for that embarrassing mess with the Park girl this summer. Regardless, she is in the plant track now where she belongs. Congratulations are still in order"

Keeping her perfectly neutral face, Amity on replied

"Thank you Father" 

"Very well. We expect you to remain on top for as long as possible so that only a Blight can exceed your record in the future. You are dismissed."

Alador was lifting his right arm top open the study door with a spin of his finger when the two painful spots on his left side started radiating waves of pain. He winced for a split second and let out a quiet grunt. 

"Father?" 

He looked up and just like her voice, her face lost its neutrality and seemed to express genuine concern. 

"Nothing you should be concerned about, Amity. You can leave now" 

His daughter's expression turned neutral again but her eyes were still wet with worry. 

"Father, if I may. I have aced last semester first aid class. Would you allow me to demonstrate my skills?" 

He opened his mouth but his reply got drowned by a grunt from another wave of pain. Not waiting for an answer, Amity simply walked around the desk to lift her father's tunic. She gasped at the sight before remembering this was supposed to be a test. 

"First step, evaluating the damage. It seems you have two burns along the right side of the rib cage. It almost looks like a snake bite. There is very little bruising so it seems this was magical in nature." 

The young Blight made a purple circle she passed both hands through, making them both glow the same color. 

"Now that my hands are sanitized, I will check for broken ribs."

Alador's protests died in a gasp as Amity’s hands brushed his ribs. Sensing nothing broken, she summoned a light blue box and pulled bandages and a flask of similarly blue liquid from it. 

“I’ll apply some healing balm on the burns and bandage everything.”

A soothing coolness spread across his side, slowly calming the radiating pain. His daughter’s worried golden eyes turned focused and determined as she finished wrapping the bandages.

“That is a very acceptable demonstration of your skills Amity. I will have a healing coven witch check the end result for mistakes tomorrow. You seemed to have experience in this however so I do not worry. I did not know you carried a first aid kit with you.”

Amity’s ears pulled back a split second and a brush of pink appeared on her cheeks before she composed herself.

“Thank you Father. I have this… friend who often gets into scraps and such. They’re not starting fights or anything, just a bit reckless so I started carrying the kit to help them when I can. I hope I am allowed to continue to do so.”

That pink was back on her cheeks again. Alador knew he should investigate further but he was exhausted and needed to get back to his report. 

“Your mother might not approve”

That made Amity tense before he continued 

“However, I believe a leader must be able to provide for their subordinate and that this can inspire loyalty. I do not think Mrs Blight needs to know this as long as it remains first aid and not anything unbecoming of an abomination witch.”

Amity nodded.

“Yes Father.”

His eyes focused on hers, gold staring at gold.

“Now about this  _ friend _ of yours”

Maybe it was the healing balm affecting him, or the day’s tiredness, or simply the strange tender moment they shared under the guise of an evaluation but the shear terror he saw in his daughter’s eyes shook Alador. This was not the fear of a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, or even the anxiety of coming home with anything but a perfect grade, what he saw was the terror of a cornered animal, fearing for its safety. He sighed.

“Make sure Boscha does not overdo it. Hexside cannot afford to lose its star player to some childish and reckless behavior. You are dismissed”

The girl let out a sigh of relief he chose to ignore, instead turning his attention back to the report.

“I will Father. Goodnight”

Working in somewhat of a haze, he spent the next 25 minutes finishing his recounting of the evening’s event. For a reason he himself did not understand, he omitted most of what the Mutt said to him as well as the branch still in his tattered cloak. Finally, Alador put the quill down. He hardly felt the burns on his side now. The clouds had finally parted, revealing the darkness of a new moon and glimmers of the stars painting the sky. With a snap, he snuffed the candles and let the starlight pour into his office. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself a small moment of quiet. 

Golden eyes filled with fear came back to haunt him. Alador heard a familiar voice in his mind,

_ Is that who you are to your child, young wolf? A threat, a hazard to be avoided and skirted around for fear of you hurting them. Young wolf, is this how you lead your pack? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, this was fun but hard to write. I was having a big "No take, only throw" moment with Alador where I want him to earn his redemption but also feel bad writing him as a snooty asshole. Regardless, it was enjoyable and we do see the hints of him being able to change. I promise we'll be getting into werewolf territory soon, maybe 3 chapters from now. Chapter 4 should come next weekend, hopefully. It will depends on if I get my day off this week, daycares during Covid are... something. Thanks y'all. I appreciate every comment. <3.

**Author's Note:**

> So here's the first chapter. Work is work so I don't know when I'll be able to update. Hopefully once a week. Chapter two is almost done. I only need to reread again and maybe do another rewrite because, boy, fight scenes are hard.
> 
> Thanks y'all


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